2012 Believe in Tomorrow Port to Fort 6K

Sunday.  What a wonderful day.  There has been much lead-up to the Believe in Tomorrow Port to Fort 6K.  I've pestered my Facebook friends to the point that I'm sure I was blocked by some of my outer circle friends.  I harassed emailed every person that came to mind over at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerates of America for a donation.  Fortunately, most of them are very kind and willing to support us.  Having reversed the situation, I certainly would help them.

Sunday began with an early riser, quick shower, quick breakfast, while I concurrently did a quick status check on Facebook.  (I need to know what people did between 10pm last night and this morning!!!).  We got our stuff together and jumped in the car.  We were on the road by 7:15am.

We arrived at the Domino Sugar Plant to park just shy of 8am.  A quick unpack and we head over to the Museum of Industry to find our team.  It wasn't hard to find them.  4 million people wearing super bright pink t-shirts.  That was just our team.  The area quickly filled up with this year's participants.  And it was a gorgeous day for a race. It was about 50 degrees and sunny, which for running is PERFECT.   And it got warmer as the day wore on.

This year's race was being recorded with a chip, so it didn't matter if it took you 2 minutes to cross the start-line.  However, after last year's race, I had no desire to be any farther back than necessary.  I didn't want to get trampled by the dedicated monster runners.  Nor did I want to be behind the mad-mom strollers, walkers, and sightseers.

Finally the start gun was heard and we were off.  I was with a few friends and we agreed to run together.  After the first bend in the road I looked over my shoulder and there was no sight of my friends.  I was running at a decent pace, not sure what it was.  I finally hit the first mile-marker at 8:11.  Holy tax-increases, Batman!  I continued along.  A few people started passing me, so I figured I was slowing down.  I hit the 2 mile-marker - 16:22.  Holy-unbalanced budget, Martin O'Malley!  I am still running at the same pace.

I finally pass the water table.  There's a crowd of people around it.  I heard some advice from a friend once.  Avoid the water table if you can.  Then I figured, this is only 3.8 miles, I can run that without water.  It's not like I'm running a marathon.

Mile-marker 3 - I'm at 24:55.  Okay, I'm slowing down a little bit, but still a fantastic pace!  I'm climbing a hill.  It seems to last forever and it's getting more painful, sort of like a Martin O'Malley term in office. 

An old cougar passes me.  "It's all downhill from here!", she growls.

I look up.  It's still uphill for as far as I can see.  "Downhill from where???", I ask her.

"Around the next bend", she says.  We turn the next corner.  More uphill.

"I thought you said it was downhill after this corner."

"It's coming soon!  Trust me.  I ran this course on Thursday!"  We turn the next corner.  More uphill.  She's obviously a staff member for Maryland Senate President Mike Miller, because she's full of it.

But alas, the next turn and we're FINALLY going downhill again.  I pick up the pace.  Use the downhills to your advantage.  I'm practically sprinting at this point.  Finally we're back on Key Highway.  I'm not wearing headphones, so I can hear myself breathing.  I realize what a loud breather I am when I run.  If you thought you heard dying bear run by you on Sunday, that was probably me.  And slobber?  Holy mad cow.  As heavy as I was breathing, there was an equivalent amount of liquid me flying all over the place.  If you thought a quick rain storm passed you, I do apologize. 

I'm running as hard as I can, but it's not that fast at this point.  But I finally crossed the finish line.  I had no idea what my time was.  I learn on Monday that I ran just over 30 minutes!  You can't imagine how psyched I am.  I haven't been this thrilled since Nancy Pelosi was removed as Madam Speaker.

A few minutes later my friends trample in behind me.  My friend's husband runs in with a stroller.  "Hey, Virus!  I think I beat you."  "I don't think so."  Wow.  I have no delusions that I am faster than this guy, but I'm pretty certain that I beat him in this particular race.  Come to find out, his chip time was better than mine, but my clock time was better than his.  So whatever.  He need not feel threatened by me.  I'm giggling like a little girl picturing him like Beavis with his shirt over his head saying, "Are you threatening me?!!!"

My oldest daughter comes in next.  She ran it in about 34 minutes.  Not bad for a 12 year old!  Then my 10 year old son comes in - 36 minutes.  Awesome!  He didn't even have running shoes on

Master of Ceremonies: WBFF Fox 45's Candace Dold:

The race finally concludes and they gather everyone for the awards ceremony.  I knew our team won the award for most money raised.  We were ahead by $9,000.  I was fairly certain that we won the award for the largest team, but Sarah's Brew Crew was close behind us.  We did beat them for largest team.  Then, my son placed in the top 3 for his division.  I'm so proud of him!!! He even wore his medal to school the next day.

All in all it was a great day.  We raised a lot of money and brought a lot of awareness to people about Believe in Tomorrow.  I'm sure there were other teams out there that were giving us the evil eye and watching us during the fundraising campaign wishing they could beat us.  But it's not about the competition (though I am proud of our accomplishments).  If someone else could raise more money or get more participants than us, I think that would be wonderful.  It's all for a great cause.

We look forward to being there again next year.  Will you be there next year?

VoteNoMalley Fundraising - It Works!

I have a wonderful update to my previous post on what works and what does not work in the world of fundraising.  I actually got a donation to the team I am helping raise money for the Believe in Tomorrow Port to Fort 6K.  Therefore, using your blog as a vehicle to raise money CAN work.

Unfortunately, the donation did not come from Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.  Unless he used an alias.  But he likes to take credit for things he does.  And things he doesn't do, or hasn't done, so I can't imagine that he'd use an alias.

Earlier in the week the weather was looking bad.  High chance of rain.  Temperatures starting in the low 30's.  Brrrr.  Terrible running weather.  But now the weather is starting to look better.  Mostly sunny and in the low 50's.  PERFECT running weather.

We hope to see everyone at the race on Sunday!

The Baltimore Department of Transportation provided this travel information for this weekend about the race.  I wonder how much money they are charging the race for the road closures.  I hear that it is a lot of money.

The 16th annual Port to Fort 6K Family Run/Walk will be held on Sunday starting at 9:00 a.m.

The event will begin and end at the Baltimore Museum of Industry located on Key Highway. Runners will proceed west along Key Highway and turn right on Light Street, left onto Lee Street, and then left on S. Charles Street. Runners will then turn right on W. Hughes Street, left on S. Hanover Street, left on W. Wells Street, and left on Johnson Street. Runners will proceed parallel to Riverside Park, right on E. Randall Street, left on Battery Avenue, right on E. Cross Street and right back onto Key Highway to finish at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

During the event, one lane of travel will be blocked along the course from 6:30 am until 12:30 pm.

Drivers should be aware that traffic will be stopped occasionally along each of the event routes for safety reasons.

Fundraising - What Works. What Doesn't.

As you know I have been helping a team raise money for Believe in Tomorrow with their Port to Fort 6K fundraising event this Sunday. In talking to team members, I have gathered ideas and feedback about the whole fundraising experience and have learned a lot.  I have never been an active fundraiser, but once my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, that all changed.  I am much more receptive to donating to causes that my friends are sponsoring.  As I've learned, if A LOT of people gave a little, you would be getting a lot.

As one manager that works at American Amalgamated Corrugated Conglomerates of America told me, the hardest part about raising money is asking.  If you can get past that, you'll find that most people are willing donors.

What Works?
Emailing coworkers really works.  The majority of donations received by the team that I'm helping have come from coworkers.  "Hey, I'm raising money for Believe in Tomorrow.  Would you be willing to make a donation?"  Surprisingly, MOST people at your place of employment will say yes.  And with online donations, it is so EASY.  Does your company match donations?  Even better!  Free money!

What Doesn't Work?
Emailing local businesses to make a donation.  I emailed many local businesses in Eldersburg asking if they would make a donation.  Surprisingly, none of them responded.  I'm certainly not mad at them, but I was a bit surprised.  Who did I ask?  Jiffy Lube, Dick's Lawn and Garden Center, Cobblestone, the Harvest Farm Inn, Glazed to Perfection, and Glory Days just to name a few.  Perhaps they get lots of requests and have to be selective.  And how are they to tell if it's spam or not?  I added my phone number and my name, but that didn't work.  I didn't really have time to go to them in person to ask for money.  Perhaps that would be a method that works.

What Works?
Asking family.  They better damn well respond, right?  Just kidding.  Of course your family is supportive.  At least ours is.  Last year my niece was one of our top 5 fund raisers.  And she's a teenager.  Rock the vote, as they say on MTV.

What Doesn't Work?
Clicking on your fundraising page 9,000 times per day to see if anyone donated does not work.  Hitting the refresh button multiple times during the same visit has little success, as well.

What Doesn't Work Too Well?
Emailing the families of the your kids' sports teams. Perhaps because I coach the teams, I'm not as close to the parents as say, a parent who is not coaching.  Those parents are sitting in the bleachers and sidelines chatting away during practices and games while I'm on the field coaching.  Therefore, we don't have as much of a personal connection.

What Works Moderately?
Asking for donations on Facebook.  The problem with Facebook is that is that it is a snapshot in time.  If you post something at 6pm and your friends get on at 10pm, it's likely that they won't even see your post.  I've posted multiple requests at various times, but have only received moderate support.  It's a less personal request as it is a broadcast to the world, not to a specific person.  I would continue to use it as a tool for fundraising, but I would not expect to get the majority of your donations from your Facebook friends.

What Doesn't Work?
Speaking of broadcasts, a broadcast email to multiple people does not work either.  I heard that sending it to your entire group resulted in minimal success.  However, customized emails to individuals is much more successful.  And it doesn't hurt to follow up with slackers with the "gentle reminder".

What Doesn't Work?
Harassment.  "Hey, jackass, are you going to donate or what?"  "Do you hate kids with cancer or something?"  Yes, surprisingly these tactics are met with high levels of resistance.

What REALLY Doesn't Work?
Asking Martin O'Malley.  He wants to take your money, but he's never donated to any cause that I've worked on.  However, Governor, there is still time for you to improve your unflattering reputation as a supporter of local charities.

What Doesn't Work?
Posting requests on your blog. Sigh.  I've raised no money via my blog.  But I'm not giving up!

If you'd be interested in making a donation to Believe in Tomorrow to help them raise money, please select this link, click on the green Donate button, and be a pal!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/VoteNoMalley/port2fort2012

Port to Fort 6K - Believe in Tomorrow!

Sunday was the 15th annual Port to Fort race benefiting the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation. This was my first time running this race. But it was easily my favorite!

As I previously mentioned, after my daughter started her treatment for leukemia, we were approached by the social worker at University of Maryland hospital and were told that we were referred to several foundations that could offer support to us. Believe in Tomorrow was one of them. They provide hospital and respite housing for families with critically ill children. As we've befriended families in our position we've heard wonderful stories about this foundation. In February we became one of the beneficiaries of their services. When we returned my wife and I knew that we needed to find a cause and get behind it - and Believe in Tomorrow was the one for us.

We quickly learned about the Port to Fort 6K and our friend Jen signed up a team for us. Little did she know what she was getting into. Our initial goal was to get a bunch of friends to run\walk with us and maybe raise $500. We hit $500 within a couple of days. Okay, maybe $1,000. I mentioned it on Facebook to see if any of my friends there could help. Then I started asking coworkers if they'd like to get involved. Then they asked their friends. And then our Church got involved. The next thing you know we have 115 team members and we've raised over $14,000 and counting. We raised so much money that they're still counting it! As of right now the matching donations have not been added and I'm pretty sure those are another $1,000.

On Sunday (Race day!) we got up early and were anxious with anticipation. Got to get the race! Can't be late! We got down there about 7:45. Our friend Jen was already there with her van door open and she was handing out bibs and t-shirts. Our friends, coworkers, family, and some strangers started gathering to collect their goods. One friend from the gym arrived and we told him to go get his stuff from the back of the van. He said, "Wouldn't be the first time I got something out of the back of a van!" Hysterical!

Finally we had nearly everyone right there (sorry Charm City Kim & family, Donut, Maggie, K & L), so we took a big team photo. It was awesome. There was a sea of purple (our team color - Payton's favorite color). A friend from Church made team shirts, and nearly everyone was wearing one.

The race finally got started, but it was a good couple of minutes before we got going because of the thousands of people there. Many races are chip races, which means you wear a chip and your time doesn't start until you step over the electronic starting line. This was not a chip race. Your time started when the gun was fired. I know what you're thinking - South Baltimore - lots of guns. I'm referring to the official race gun.

Anyway, it took several more minutes to get through the crowd to the point where we were running comfortably. I was running with my older daughter, 2 of her friends, and one of her friend's sister. So me, three 11 year-olds, and a 15 year old. They did well! We ran a good mile and a half before we had to walk a bit. We made the loop, got down to Fort McHenry, circled around and headed back for the finish line.

At this point the crowd is definitely getting separated. My daughter wanted to run it out. I needed to keep her in sight - after all we are in South Baltimore. The other 2 girls wanted to keep walking. I don't blame them - they are only 11 and it's almost 4 miles. Finally we see the end and we sprint to the finish line. About 45 minutes. Not our best time, but there were some things to consider as mentioned:

1) we probably started 2 minutes after the race began.
2) we had to scramble though the masses of walkers (why are the walkers not separated from the runners?)
3) I had to maintain the pace of our slowest runner.So all in all, not a terrible time.

After the race we're served some awesome hot dogs, potato chips, water and pasta, oh, and bananas. My friend Donut happened to get a donut. I never saw any, so I think she ate them all. You'd never know it though - she's skinny.

After a while the last of the walkers finished and the awards show begins. Let me tell you, Team Payton swept the awards show.

1) Largest Team - 115 members
2) Most money raised by a single team - +$13,000 and counting
3) Most money raised by a individual - me! +$4,500
4) My wife's cousin won 2nd place in his division in the race (24 minutes)

We are so happy of our accomplishment and thank all of our friends and family and friends of friends, and co-workers who I barely know but asked anyway and who were more than happy to help - THANK YOU

Thank you to my friend MD Duckman for being the official team photographer. You're pictures are awesome!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Captain Jen for keeping this altogether. You did a great job!

So Monday - the day after. I'm tired. Sore. I bet a lot of members of Team Payton feel the same. But you should all be very proud of what you've done. And I think I spent nearly half of my day sharing stories and pictures with everyone. Such a positive experience. Furthermore, I think I gained another 10 friends on Facebook!

So, everyone - are you ready for next year?!!!

I was going to wrap it up, but I have one little criticism. A friend overheard someone (a manager?) at the Falls Road Runnig Store criticizing an employee for allowing strollers in this race. This person said, "N-O! No more!" Seriously? A race to benefit an foundation that helps children? And no strollers are allowed? You really want children with cancer to walk the 6 kilometers? Or do you not want them there at all? You should be ashamed of yourself for saying that and apologize to the community at-large for such a narrow-minded view of the race. Sometimes it's not about the race! (I'm done!)